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[cubbiegirl]

No hardcore fandom has ever died so quickly and so completely as Veronica Mars. This is the story of its murder.

They should study Veronica Mars in Hollywood. I'm serious. It's an incredible story of how to go from "loud, passionate fanbase with its own fandom name that campaigns and advocates constantly for it" to "absolutely zero fucking interest" damn near OVERNIGHT with just ONE epically terri-bad decision.

If you weren't there, you don't understand: From 2007 to 2014, the fandom — the "Marshmallows," as they called themselves — were everywhere in the Internet's geek spaces, my friends. They routinely beat the drum about the series' three seasons and its excellence, lamented its cancellation, pushed others to give the show a try, and always - ALWAYS - proudly and loudly called for the series to be revived.

FULL DISCLOSURE/CONFESSION: I've not even watched that much Veronica Mars, frankly... ? Yeah, I'm sorry! it does seem pretty good from like the four-or-five hours I've experienced firsthand. I just never took the time to sit down with it. Regardless, I find fandoms and their dynamics — both how they operate internally and how they display to others externally — deeply fascinating. And I honestly find them easier to study from the outside than the inside. Like, if I'm IN a fandom, I'm more likely to stay in my corner and ignore places that seem negative. But being on the outside lets me just... absorb what's out there, looking into every forum without judgment. It's like studying pop-culture sociology or something? And it helps that I'm very close to some serious(-ly burnt) Marshmallows. It makes it so much easier to find and absorb the gamut of the fandom.

Besides: There is NO fandom story I've ever seen that's anything like what happened to Veronica Mars and the Marshmallows.

(Time to insert a brief explainer for the uninitiated: Veronica Mars was a TV series that aired from 2004-2007 on the now-deceased UPN network wherein Kristen Bell played the titular character, a high school girl whose single dad was a private detective in the fictional community of Neptune, California. She grew up working "unofficially" as his assistant, which meant that she herself was effectively a teenage private detective.

The three core elements of the series were: 1) Veronica investigating each week's big mystery with plenty of quips and snark, 2) Watching Veronica's various relationships develop and shift, with most of the focus given to a) her relationship to her father and b) Her romantic pursuits (which began as the Veronica/Duncan/Logan triangle before eventually becoming focused on the slow-burn, off-on Veronica/Logan love story), and 3) The gradual development of that season's "mytharc" — the overarching BIG MYSTERY that doesn't get resolved or wrapped until the season finale. So it went over the course of two seasons that took place in high school and the third, shorter season that was at the start of Veronica's collegiate career.)

Just how big and how passionate were the Marshmallows? WELL! When series creator Rob Thomas (not the Matchbox 20 guy) and star Kristen Bell announced the Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie in March 2013, it achieved its heretofore-unprecedented goal of TWO MILLION GODDAMN DOLLARS within less than 12 hours. At that time, it was the biggest Kickstarter goal to ever succeed — and certainly the fastest to reach that kind of height. Fans fell OVER themselves to pay out for it. Hell, my own significant other was DEEP in the tank for VM at the time and invested enough to get multiple t-shirts as backer rewards as well as a disk copy of the movie when it eventually came home.

And AFTER the movie hit in 2014? It was thankfully beloved and embraced! The once-teenage characters were adults who were actually out living on their own and working for a living, but the fandom had grown up with them, so it wasn't like they were begging for them to stay young students. They embraced Adult Veronica and her new adventure. The fandom rejoiced loudly and continued to be all over the geek side of the Internet... where they, of course, still wanted more. Sure, there were new novels in the aftermath (which were written by the creator of the series), but most of the Marshmallows were calling for more movies or a streaming revival.

And then, at long last... season four was actually announced. And there was much (premature) rejoicing yet again.

Yes, Veronica Mars returned for a fourth season on Hulu in 2019. It was just eight episodes, and it was heavily centered on one season-long mystery instead of sprinkling that amongst a bunch of smaller ones, but it would still feature the same ol' Veronica. They promised a new, more "adult" mystery/investigation plus a strong focus on Veronica and Logan's love story.

New Hulu purchased the rights to the first three seasons and hyped up its presence on the platform while marketing the return for the new run. The marketing team played up the most popular quips from the show's history plus put out TONS of stuff centered on the Logan/Veronica ship to pump up the fans.

The season was dropped all at once using the classic Netflix "binge" model in July 2019. And then... afterwards?

There was a brief explosion of LOUD RAGE from the Marshmallows at what series creator Rob Thomas had to done to burn and spite the fandom and ruin his own goodwill.

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4: See, at the end of the movie, Veronica and Logan finally entered into a long-term relationship. In season four, they've been dating for years, and Logan proposes marriage. But of course there has to be drama/obstacles: In this case, Veronica isn't sure she's ready to marry... or capable of being in a marriage. Ah, but of course she eventually realizes how much Logan means to her. The two are married, and, in the season finale... Logan is killed by a car bomb in the penultimate scene. The final scene is a flashfoward to a year later, where Veronica leaves Neptune alone.

For most fandoms, that'd be a memorable point of pain. A big ol' speed bump that ultimately throws some people off the bus, leaving only the die-hards. But the fact that fans had been invested in this relationship for literally 15 years and that Hulu (and creator Rob Thomas) had heavily marketed the new season as being a big romantic event for the ship... it was too much. Unlike the aftermath of the Star Wars sequels, there was no lingering group of die-hard fans who were open to whatever was next — at least no significant one. I did some Googling and could only find TWO people who still wanted another season.

Funnily enough? Critics LOVED this. Vanity Fair infamously penned an editorial about how Veronica Mars had "finally grown up" with the finale. (The same editorial also featured the author openly hating on Veronica ever being in a relationship because it causes "arrested development" and declaring that the movie -- which was acclaimed by both critics AND fans alike, I remind you -- was a lame dud. So. The writer must be a reeeaaaal fun person.)

But a series doesn't live based on critical acclaim, as it turns out. The fandom was murdered overnight. "Marshmallows" stopped appearing in geek spaces online entirely. No one expressed interest in seeing the next season or the next movie. The constant flow of fan AMVs on YouTube and fanfics on AO3 dried up to nothing.

Since 2019 ? Nothing. Chirping crickets. An intensely dedicated fandom of 12 years was just... vaporized.

I've never seen anything like it before OR since.

That's why it's so fucking fascinating.

So what went wrong?

Creator Rob Thomas was adamant about two things: ONE, the series was intended to be a noir show, which meant there couldn't be any happiness for its protagonist. And TWO, the death of Logan was necessary to evolve and grow the series.

Thomas thought that having Veronica in a relationship would be holding her back, and that a marriage would absolutely kill the series and leave her stagnant. It never even occurred to him that marriage isn't the end of a character's life and growth. It never occurred to him that plenty of drama can be had AFTER someone is married, or that development/growth could be that the characters mature enough to be capable of maintaining a committed relationship. Thomas' view of his own universe was so myopic that he couldn't conceive of any possible way that Veronica could still be a private detective involved in life-threatening investigations AND be married at the same time. Futhermore, he felt that fans just wanted Veronica to become a pregnant housewife, which is about as far from what Marshmallows were after as you can get without straight-up killing Veronica and/or Logan. He managed to do the only thing wronger than what he wrongly thought was their insistence.

On top of the above, Rob Thomas only viewed "noir" as a vehicle for total fatalism... despite the fact that many of the most famous noir stories are cynical and full of moral ambiguity, but they still feature a positive outcome. The Big Sleep still has the protagonist get the girl. The Set-Up arguably ends with the happiest possible ending in spite of the beating the hero receives.

Perhaps most importantly? Despite Thomas own insistence that Veronica Mars was always "noir," the majority of both TV critics and fans did not think that designation ever truly applied. I suspect that's the reason why Thomas decided to go as dark and fatalistic as possible: He wanted to be noir, and he was being told that he wasn't. So he went so far into noir that he killed his own most popular property.

He was adamant that it was the only way for the series to grow. But as it turns out, it was instead the only way for the series to permanently end. Without that season four finale, a passionate group of fans would still be begging for more. With it? It's over. Nobody fucking cares now.

That's kind of amazing.

[cubbiegirl]

OMGGGGGGG I HAVE DIED THIS IS THE BEST

you’re not the first stubborn, angry, rude physical therapy patient I’ve worked with and you won’t be the last, but you might be the first to get under my skin—VM/LoVe

Hello! Yes, it’s been 100 million years since I received this, but I am really making my way through prompts! At least...emotionally? Anyway, I believe this one was sent to me by @cubbiegirl??? And if not, I’ll go ahead and gift it to her anyway because she’s the best. 

Will likely be posted to AO3 at some point (and edited?! who’s to say?), but for now let it live here. 

*** Title: leap, land, and catch Rating: Pg-13 for swears (and some foreplay…did I just get blocked) (this is the exact text for the last time I posted a fic...but it still holds) Word count: ~1700 Relationships/Characters: Logan/Veronica Additional Information: Idk, I tried to do a sneaky little thingy? We’ll see if it works! Also...like most of my fics, it doesn’t have an ending as much as I just stopped typing words.  Summary: Logan is 4-months post-ACL surgey, but he’s 4-years into trying Veronica’s patience.  ***

“Good, good, good,” Veronica encourages. She points to her client’s knee. “Watch that rotation. Make sure your knee tracks right over your foot.” She nods in approval at the slight position correction her client makes. “Slow down. No need to rush this.” Her client smirks as he continues the exercise. Before he can respond she puts up a hand to stop him. “Whatever joke you’re thinking of making, you probably made it last week.” 

“I doubt it,” Logan says. “I stayed up late thinking of new ones.” 

“Sounds like a good use of your time. Go ahead and switch legs for me. Good. Just like that. Good.” 

“I like the way you say ‘good.’ This might be awakening a kink in me.” 

She rolls her eyes. “Something tells me your kinks don’t need any help in the awakening department.” 

He grins and continues with the series of single leg squats. 

Now that he’s been her client for more than four years, Veronica’s more than used to Logan Echolls’ particular brand of charm. Their appointments originally began to address the physical strain that went with his career as a former Naval aviator, specifically persistent low-level neck and back pain. From there they continued to work together to address the garden variety Southern California surfer boy ailments, namely surfer’s shoulder and lower back strain. Every Thursday, the final appointment of the day in the small clinic she runs, the two of them would work together while Logan also aimed to be a giant pain in her ass. 

That is until Logan thought it would be a good idea to challenge a former Division II player of the year to a pick-up game of basketball, planted his foot wrong, and tore his ACL. Idiot. 

“Two more on that side,” Veronica says. “Slow, slow, slow. And, done.” Logan lowers his right leg to the ground. “How’s that feel?” 

“Good. Secure.” 

“No pain as you extend?” 

“None.” 

“That’s what I like to hear.” 

Logan follows her to the area of the gym with the weight machines. She selects a 15 lb dumbbell from the rack and leads him back over to the line of plyo boxes near the edge of the gym. She catches him looking over his shoulder back towards the weight machines. 

She hands him the dumbbell. “I know how much you love power step-ups.”  

He looks down at the dumbbell and then back up. “I thought we were moving to weight training this week.” 

“We are.” She points at the dumbbell. “Hence the weight in your hand.” 

“You know what I mean.” 

“I want to give it another couple of weeks before we add additional pressure to your knee.” 

“I told you I’m good.” 

“Well, lucky for you I’ve cottoned on to your ‘the Navy equipped me to hike 15-miles in the snow, up hill, both ways’ hero complex which means I don’t plan to listen to you.” 

“Veronica.” 

“You’re just past 4-months post-op. Give it some time.” She points to the box. “Power step-ups. And if you don’t keep centered, I’m confiscating that weight.”

The dumbbell is a new addition, but the exercise is one Logan is familiar with. His form is, annoyingly, perfect, though that doesn’t stop Veronica from offering minor corrections and reminders. As they near the end of the final set of reps, she can tell Logan is getting fatigued. His breathing is heavier, and she detects a second of hesitation before he steps up onto the box. “Three more on that leg and then we’re done,” she coaches him. Except once he’s completed the final rep, he keeps going with the exercise. “All done, Logan,” she repeats. He continues with the exercise. 

Any doubt she had that he didn’t hear her vanishes. Veronica steps around the plyo box so she can more easily make eye contact. “Logan.” He returns his leg to the ground, briefly makes eye contact with her, and then switches legs to start another series of reps.

“Logan,” she repeats. “Stop.” She could try and wrest the weight from his hands, but there’s the very real possibility that she could knock him off balance and cause him to seriously hurt himself. Plus, the man is a head taller than her and all muscle. Unless she clipped the back of his bad knee, she doesn’t see that going her way.

She folds her arms across her chest and waits for him to finish whatever toddler inspired physical therapy tantrum of his this is. By the time he’s done, his forehead is slick with sweat and his breath comes out in uneven pants. He extends the dumbbell for her to take, but she shakes her head and walks past him. 

“Where are you going?” he asks. 

She turns back around. “I’m going to have Tina call all my post-op clients to tell them they’ll be working with you as their PT from now on. Seeing as you’re such an expert in post-surgical rehab.” 

“Veronica.” 

“No. Save me the Veronicas and the bushbaby eyes. You could have hurt yourself, Logan. Really hurt yourself. You realize that?”

“I wasn’t trying—”

“If you don’t want my input, go to Planet Fitness, pay $10, and they’ll let you do whatever superhero camp exercises you want and fuck your knee in the process. Is that what you want?” 

“Shit, Veronica. That’s not it!” 

“Then what is it?”

He drops the dumbbell to the ground and slumps down on the plyo box. He sighs. “I’m not good at…at…being idle.” He says idle like it’s a vile word. Which, for Logan, she supposes it is. “I don’t know what to do with myself, and it makes me--”  Then he folds in on himself. His shoulders slump and a crease forms between his brow. 

She takes a step towards him and then another. His eyes track her as she moves. “I never said you needed to be idle. I’m asking you to trust me.” 

“God, is that even a real question? Of course I trust you.”

“Okay, then.” She places a hand on his shoulder. His skin is hot, like always. Her skin prickles with the awareness of it. “There’s always knitting.” He tilts his head in question, his eyes wide and focused intently on her. “If you need to keep your hands busy,” she explains. “Cross-stitch? Buy yourself a pottery wheel?”  

“I can think of -- oof.” 

She clamps a hand over his mouth. “Enough of that. And what did I say about the bushbaby eyes?” 

He gently pulls her hand away from his mouth. He runs his fingers along the slight indentation on her ring finger. “You like them.” 

“No I don’t.” 

“You like me.” 

“Only when I can tolerate you. Which is hardly ever.” She gently removes her hand from his. “Now what are we going to do for the rest of the hour?”  

“Perform admirably and impress you with my male virility?” 

“No. Also, yuck. We are going to listen to Veronica.” She extends a hand. “Deal?” 

He takes her hand in a firm grip and shakes. “Deal.” 

“Leap and lands.” He groans. She points to a spot on the mat. “Both legs.” 

“You’re a cruel woman.” 

It happens quickly. Her back is only turned for a few seconds but then she hears Logan cry out. 

She chips back around and he’s on the ground, his hands on the mat and extended to cushion his fall. 

“Logan!” She rushes towards him. 

“I’m okay,” he says, but she can hear the waver in his voice. “I’m okay.” 

“Let me see.” She helps him sit down on the mat and uses her hands to slowly guide him to extend his knee.

“I’m okay. I promise. I moved before I set my feet.”

“How about I be the judge of that?” 

He’s right, it turns out. Most likely the added exertion from the weights he added, combined with the unsanctioned extra reps, and not setting his feet before he walked just caused his knee to buckle. 

She’s mostly quiet the remainder of the session. Given his fall, she amends her plan and focuses on range of motion exercises rather than adding more weight. He tries to make a few jokes as they work together. Every time she tries to respond with a quip, she sees Logan splayed out on the mat, and hears the slight quiver of his voice.

“Do not overdo it with the home exercises this week,” she warns. 

“You sound a lot like my wife.” He tosses the bands they used in the bin to be disinfected tomorrow.

“I mean it, Logan.” 

“Roger. Are we done?” 

“We’re done.” 

“Good.” He reaches for her hand and pulls her close to him. The move takes her by surprise, though it shouldn’t. “Does that mean you’re going to stop giving me the silent treatment?” 

“Would you rather I yell at you?” 

“Sometimes.” 

She rolls her eyes, and looks away. “You were doing extra reps on your own. Weren’t you?” 

“Veronica.” The gentle pressure of his thumb on her chin guides her eyes back to him. “I’m okay.” 

“You scared me.” 

“I kind of scared myself.” He kisses the tip of her nose. “But I’m okay.” 

The nights where he’s her last appointment of the night aren’t the worst thing ever. He’s got good shoulders, keeps her distracted through lock-up, and only complains a little when she suggests they pick up takeout from the Indian restaurant with the owner who flirts with her.

“Thanks to my brilliant physical therapy skills you mean?” 

“Obviously.” He hooks a finger in the small pocket sewn into the waistband of her leggings and removes the ring she keeps there. Past-her would have some strong, and likely unkind, words to say if she could hear the quick beat of her heart as Logan slides her wedding band back onto her finger. 

“We’re late for family dinner.” 

“Are you going to speak to Wallace at this one?” 

“I speak to Wallace every day.”

“Let me rephrase. Are you going to stop referring to your brother as ‘The Maimer of Husbands’?” 

“To his face? Or in general?” 

“Let’s start with to his face.”

[cubbiegirl]

NEW GIRL 4.06 | “Background Check”

[cubbiegirl]

They keep in touch

[cubbiegirl]

Just kidding. VERONICA MARS, 2.17

[cubbiegirl]

1x03 | 2x08

[cubbiegirl]

[cubbiegirl]

[cubbiegirl]

Our final Hurt/Comfort feature this year is...

Sparks Fly by @cubbiegirl

Summary: Veronica dismisses Lilly’s latest Flavor of the Month as a thoughtless frat boy, but he keeps showing up in her apartment, even after he stops seeing her roommate. Maybe she should investigate...

Join us on the VM Fic Club Discord server. Link in our bio.

[cubbiegirl]

“is this a joke?”

[cubbiegirl]

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas... (VM Fandom Style)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through his house

Logan Echolls was stirring, the holiday he disavows

No stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

No hope of St. Nickolas ever showing up here;

Children somewhere were nestled, snug in their beds;

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

Not here, not ever, he would enjoy this nightcap

Bourbon, on the rocks would help with his long nap,

He was headed to bed, when he saw some movement,

He walked through the living room with bemusement

On his way to the screen door, he asked “What the heck?”

Pulled open the door and stepped on the deck.

The moon on the breast of the rippling waves

Gave a luster of midday to the ocean’s concaves

When what to his wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh pulled by Backup drew near,

With a tiny blonde beauty so lively and quick,

He knew in a moment, he was in for a trick!

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

Veronica whistled, and called to him by name.

“Backup, halt, sit, lie down.” she sternly  insisted

“Good boy, that was close.”  his spirit then lifted.

She unhooked his leash, she gave him the call

“Now go, say hi to your buddy, don’t stall”

She leaves him before he can ask her why,

She disappears for awhile, he wants to spy

So down the hall he tiptoes to see where she withdrew

Leaving the sleigh full of bags, and Backup too.

And then, in a twinkling, he heard from his bedroom,

The jingling of bells and lots of rustling, he must zoom

To the living room he goes to wait around,

Then down the hall she came with a bound.

She was dressed like a Claus from her head to her feet,

The outfit was enough for him to admit defeat.

A bundle of packages she now flung on her back,

She looked like a pedler carrying that sack.

Her eyes, how they twinkled!  Her dimples, how merry!

Her cheeks were rosey, her nose a little cherry!

Her glossy little lips was drawn up like a bow,

And the dress she adorn was short enough for a show.

Her shoes, black heels, a Santa hat on her head

In this outfit, he just wanted to take her to bed,

She pulled out a small tree, she began to decorate

Then she placed gifts under, so he could celebrate.

She was dancing about, like a right jolly old elf,

And he laughed as he watched her, in spite of himself;

A wink of her eye and a twist of her head

Soon gave him to know he had nothing to dread;

She spoke not a word, but went straight to work,

And filled his stocking, she had hung with a smirk,

Then laying her hands on the sides of his nose

And giving a smile, up to his lips she rose

He sprang into action, meeting her halfway,

And it didn’t take long before they got carried away

As they disappeared to the bedroom, he thought with delight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

[cubbiegirl]

From the Lovecember Prompt Generator: Holiday Theme: Christmas/holiday party/dinner parties Trope: Handcuffed Together Prompt: Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party

This started out as fun banter and then well, went to a very smutty place.

[cubbiegirl]

[cubbiegirl]

[cubbiegirl]

Ted Lasso Christmas Special + a few of my fave moments

[cubbiegirl]

Happy Holidays | illustrated by Saby Menyhei

[cubbiegirl]

While You Were Sleeping (1995) dir. Jon Turteltaub